Ben Sira

Ben Sira is a Rabbin, or at least a scholar, which wrote the Siracide (or Ecclésiastique ) towards -180. Only information which one has of him results from this book. Written into Hebrew, it was translated into Greek by his grandson in Egypt. This one added a foreword to it.
L' alphabet of Ben Sira is an apocryphal book.

Who was it?

The Greek version of Siracide calls it (L. 27) " Jesus the son of Sira' H of Jérusalem." The copy in possession of Saadia Gaon carries as for it " Shim `one, Ben Yeshoua, Ben Eleazar Ben Sira" , in agreement with the Hebrew manuscript B. By inverting " Shim' on" and " Yeshoua" , one obtains the same name in all the manuscripts.
Le name of " Shim `on" is confirmed by the syriaque version, which carries " Yeshoua wire of Shim `one, called Bar Asira". The difference between Bar Sira and Bar Asira is interesting to note, and " Asira" (" prisonnier") is a popular etymology for Sira.

It would seem finally that the name of the author is Yeshoua (Ιησους, francized as a Jesus) Ben Shimon Ben Eleazar Ben Sira.

As for the patronym, Sira means " épine" in Araméen. The addition of a Chi in Greek is a current procedure (cf ACtes 1:19, Hakeldama becomes CH ).

According to the Greek version, but not the syriaque version, Ben Sira (xxxiv would have travelled much. 11) under perilous conditions (ibid 12). In the anthem of the chapter Li., it mentions the various dangers whose God delivered it, but it could be a question of a poetic imitation of a frequent topic in the Psaumes. Calumnies to which it was exposed in the presence of a king (probably Ptolemaic) are not mentioned elsewhere than in the Greek version.

Finally, the only certainty which one can draw from the text is that Ben Sira was a scholar, a scribe poured in the Law, and particularly in what one called later the sapientiaux books.

The alphabet of Yeshoua Ben Sira

A Hebrew writing of the 10th century, named the Alphabet of Yeshoua Ben Sira, tells the myth of Lilith, the first woman created by God with equal of Adam, before Eve. Here is the beginning:

God created Adam and saw that it was alone. He says: " It is not good for a man to be seul". Then, It created a woman, starting from the ground like Adam and It called it Lilith. Adam and Lilith quarreled. He says to him: " I will not lie down under you, but only above you. You are made to be below, because I am to you supérieur". Lilith answered: " I will not lie down under you but on you. We are equal, we were created same terre". None of both wanted to yield. When Lilith saw it, she pronounced the Unutterable Name and left in the airs.

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